TRƯỜNG ………………….
KHOA……………………….

[\[\
Báo cáo tốt nghiệp

Đề tài:

Nghiên cứu về ngôn ngữ được sử dụng khi đáp lại lời
phàn nàn của khách trong ngành dịch vụ khách sạn 1

PART A: INTRODUCTION
Rationale
Together with the development of society, the demand of a common
language that can serve as a means to communicate is more and more increasing.
From this fact, English has been used world-wide in many aspects of life for years.
It can be said that so far English has been the most popular language in aviation,
business, and international trade and so on.
In the recent years, the hotel industry has been higher and higher developed
in Vietnam. People working in the hotel industry are required to be efficient in
English so that they can communicate confidently with a great number of foreign

guests’ complaints?
Methods of the study
This study uses the methods of description; analysis of the questionnaire of
the structures to find out the patterns used by the English speakers in the hotel
industry in dealing with guests’ complaints.
A great number of materials on applied linguistics in general and
pragmatics in particular which focuses on speech act and politeness strategies are
treated as the theoretical background for this study.
Data used in this study is collected from the textbooks and authentic
English spoken by English speakers in the hotel industry as well as from the result
of the survey questionnaire.
Scope of the study
This study aims at finding out the verbal language used in dealing with
guests’ complaints. It looks into the language patterns employed in dealing with
guests’ complaints.
All the other kinds of communication including non-verbal communication
and written language via such channels as letters are out of the scope of the study.
Design of the study
This study is divided into three parts as follows:
Part A is an introduction presenting the rationale of the study; the aims and the
research questions; the methods, the scope and the design of the study.
Part B consists of three chapters:
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3

- Chapter 1 deals with the theoretical background of the study: the concept of

Those kinds of actions via utterances for the purpose of communicating are
called “Speech Acts”. In English, they are commonly given such specific labels as
apologizing, complaining, requesting, inviting, informing, complimenting or
promising etc.
Dealing with complaints is a kind of complimentary speech act: it follows
the act of complaint. When speakers deal with a complaint, they are performing an
act, that is the act of responding to complaints. This can be a combination of one
or more than one specific acts such as explaining, apologizing, or promising, in
which the aim is to cool the guests’ anger down. When a guest makes a complaint,
s/he is displeased, disappointed or maybe depressed. Thus using appropriate
speech acts to please the guests is very important here. For this reason, speech acts
theory will do a lot in setting up the foundation for this study.
1.1.1. Speech Acts
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5

The term “speech acts” has been mentioned and studied by many
philosophers such as Austin (1962), Searle (1969, 1975, 1979). However, the most
basic definition is “speech acts are the acts we perform when we speak” (Hymes,
1972). It means that in saying something, a speaker also does something and
speech acts consist of such verbal acts as greeting, promising, complaining,
apologizing, requesting…
According to Austin (1962), speech acts are classified into three types:
 Locutionary act: is the act in saying something, i.e. the act of uttering a
meaningful sentence. For instance, “I am married”. When responding to
guests’ complaints, a speaker says “I am very sorry”, s/he has performed a
locutionary act. This utterance used in dealing with complaints is
meaningful because it informs the speaker’s courtesy.

his/her intention of offering somebody something, apologizing to somebody for
something… in such a way that the listener can recognize the speaker’s intention.

1.1.2. Types of Speech Acts
Speech Acts can be classified according to how they affect the social
interaction between the speakers and the hearers. Searle (1990) gave out the notion
of five different types of speech acts namely assertive, commissive, directive,
declarative and expressive.
 Assertive: tell people how and what things are. An assertive can be tested
either true or false as the speaker asserts, says, reports et cetera.
 Commissive: commit the speaker to do something such as promises,
threats et cetera.
 Directive: get the hearer to do something by using suggestions, requests,
commands…
 Declarative: bring about changes in the world.
 Expressive: express feelings and attitudes about a certain state of affairs for
instance, to apologize, thank, regret et cetera.
Thus, the apology “I’m awfully sorry I wasn’t at the meeting this morning.”
has an expressive illocutionary point. The request “Can you order a taxi for room
405, please?” has a directive illocutionary point, or the promise “I’ll come.” has a
commissive illocutionary point.
Studying the classification of speech acts by Searle (1990), I myself found that
complaining belongs to expressive which expresses feelings and attitudes.
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7


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
These felicity conditions are:

(Thoi roi em oi! Day la vi du
cua Searle ve dieu kien may man cua mot
hanh dong nao do thoi (co le la Act of
request)

¶
<#>Preparatory conditions: hearer is able
to perform action.¶
<#>Sincerity conditions: speaker wants
hearer to do action.¶
<#>Propositional content conditions:
speaker predicates a future action.¶
<#>Essential conditions: counts as an
attempt by the speaker to get the hearer to
do action.¶

8

 Propositional content conditions:
- H will reach a result by doing
something else to show his goodwill.
(Anna, 1987)
These conditions are of vital importance when making and responding to a
complaint. The act of responding to a complaint consists of different speech acts


Hudson defined that face-work is “the way in which a person maintains his
face”, which is carried out by presenting a consistent image to other people, so that
one can gain or lose face by “improving or spoiling” this image. Hudson stated
that through what one says or how to say it, the speaker presents a personal image
for others to evaluate.
If a speaker says something that represents a threat to another individual’s
expectations regarding self-image, it is described as a face-threatening act (FTA)
Alternatively, having given a possibility that actions might be as a threat to
another’s face, the speaker can say something to lessen the possible threat. This is
called a face saving act (FSA)
Besides, it should be noted that some certain speech acts such as
compliment, thank or offer flatter face. An act in this case is called a face-
flattering act (FFA)
Both an FTA and an FFA might be the cause of the face of losing face. To
avoid this risk, either an FSA should be used or greater attention should be paid to
the different use of routine and speech acts in different cultural communities.
Deriving from the theory of Goffman, Brown and Levinson (1987), we can
have two related aspects of face.
Negative face: the basic claim to territories, personal preserves, right to
non- distraction – i.e. to freedom of action and freedom of imposition.
Positive face: the positive consistent self- image or “personality” (crucially
including the desire that this self- image be appreciated and approved of) claimed
by interaction.
Face-work, therefore, proves to play an important part in making a
conversation work either negatively or positively. When the face is kept, the
relationship is maintained without much difficulty.
When we respond to a complaint, it might be potential for us to cause the
loss of the hearer’s face. This is especially possible in the hotel industry as the rule
there is to please the customers to the best of the staff’s effort. Therefore,

image of oneself and securing the approval of others. Positive politeness consists
of acts, which are designed to preserve or restore the Hearer’s positive face, by
stressing the Speaker’s sympathy with a social closeness to the Hearer. One
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11

linguistic way of doing this would be to link the Speaker and Hearer together by
using the pronoun forms: we, us or our.
Negative politeness is the effort not to be coercive against imposition on
others, in other words, not to poke one’s nose into other’s privacy. Negative
politeness consists of acts which are designed to preserve or restore the Hearer’s
negative face, by expressing the speaker’s reluctance to impose his or her wants on
the hearer. One way of doing this would be to say something like: “I don’t like to
bother you but…” The tendency to use negative politeness forms, emphasizing
Hearer’s right to freedom can be seen as deference strategy.
It should be noted that neither negative nor positive politeness is thoroughly
good or bad. This depends much on culture, i.e. this culture is more or less in favor
of the former or later viewpoint of politeness as people in that country consider it
to be appropriate to show concern for or interest in each other’s business.
1.2.3. Politeness strategies in making and responding to complaints
1.2.3.1. Making complaints
In everyday conversations, people often carry out different speech acts. For
example, greeting and responding, asking for information, giving directions and
instructions, complaining and responding to complaint
People often complain to express pain, discontent or dissatisfaction about
illness, the weather, the food, the traffic jam, money problem, poor relationship
and so on. There is almost a reason for complaining and it is thought to be an
action involving something akin to feeling sorry for oneself.

expresses the staffs’ goodwill to help the guests out of the trouble or at least to
lessen the guests’ anger.

1.3. Complaining and dealing with guests’ complaints in the hotel
industry
1.3.1. Complaining in the hotel industry
As mentioned above, complaints are what one makes saying that s/he is not
satisfied. In the hotel industry, complaints are unavoidable. When a guest comes to
stay in a hotel, s/he wants to get the best service there. However, everything does
not always run as smoothly as one expects. Even the most pleasant guests have
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complaints now and then. The complaints may result from the faults made by the
serving staff or caused by the guests themselves.
Whether the complaints are due to the serving staffs or not, the staffs are
often expected to please the guests to the best of their service.
1.3.2. Dealing with guests’ complaints
Complaints are unavoidable and serving staff in the hotel industry have to
deal with them everyday. However, complaints concern with the face work and
politeness. Then, how to deal with guests’ complaints so that the guests’ face will
not be lost is really a big problem. In this study, the writer would like to make an
investigation by conducting a survey questionnaire to serving staff in the hotel
industry in Hanoi to try to find out the pattern of the verbal language used by these
serving staff to deal with guests’ complaints. The discussion of the research
questions as well as the findings of the analysis of the questionnaire will be

guests themselves
Table 1.
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For the language employed in dealing with guests’ complaints, the
respondents were required to choose one or several of the given options which
express what they would say to the guests. The questions are based on the
following situations
Situations
Content
1 The language employed in dealing with a complaint due to the
serving staff’s fault.
2 The language employed in dealing with a complaint not
directly caused by the serving staff’s fault but from another
department of the organization.
3 The language employed in dealing with a complaint due to the
guest him/herself.
Table 2.

2.3. The discussion of the respondents:
The respondents participating in the questionnaires included fifty people
working in the hotel industry with the equal number of both genders: 25 male and
25 female respondents. All of them are in their twenties and early thirties. Their
length of working in the hotel industry is more than five years, which may lead to
the consumption that the knowledge and experience they get working in the hotel

Rates of frequency
Male respondents
(25)
Female respondents
(25)
Total
(50)
Always 23 24 47
Sometimes 2 1 3
Never 0 0 0
Table 3.
From the data gathered in Table 3, it can be seen that complaints are
unavoidable in the hotel industry. 47 respondents have chosen the highest rate
always. This implies that they have to deal with complaints everyday, in almost
every situation. The number of the respondents who have chosen the rate
sometimes is 3. Comparing with 47 respondents who have chosen the highest rate,
this is a small number, but it also conveys the idea that being a serving staff,
especially in the hotel industry, one is always expected to deal with the
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¶

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complaints. As complaints are what unavoidable in the hotel industry, no

¶
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18

To deal with guests’ complaints, the serving staffs in the hotel industry tend
to gather different speech acts to express their attitude. Study Table 4, it can be
implied that the structure which is most employed by the serving staffs is apology
+ explanation + promise. 31 out of 50 respondents have chosen this structure in
responding to guests’ complaints. The number of respondents choosing the second
structure apology + explanation is 12. 8 respondents have chosen the structure
apology + promise to deal with guests’ complaints. Only 1 male respondent has
employed the speech act apology only. With no checks for options E and F, it can
be seen that these are not what the serving staff can employ in dealing with guests’
complaints. None of the respondents has expressed their own opinion in
responding with complaints due to their own fault.
2.5.2.2. When it is owing to another department in the organization.
The options for the pattern are designed as follows:
A.  apology + explanation + promise
B.  apology + explanation
C.  apology + promise
D. apology only
E.  turning down the complaint(s)
F.  ignoring the complaint(s)
G. Your own opinion (please specify) ______________________________

Table 5 will illustrate the findings for strategies employed by the serving staff
when the complaint is not due to their fault but from another department in the
organization.


using a full pattern of an apology together with an explanation and a promise, the
serving staff can also just use an apology and an explanation or an apology and a
promise in responding to guests’ complaints. With this choice, it can be implied
that either an explanation or a promise can be used alone here to deal with guests’
complaints. None of the respondents have chosen pattern D, which is an apology
only in responding to a complaint not due to their fault. This is quite common in
the hotel industry for the serving staffs to express an apology whenever there
appears a fault even not made by them. However, an apology is often
accompanied by an explanation or a promise. An apology only does not seem
reasonable as it is not really due to their fault. The number of the respondents
choosing pattern E is quite small (7 out of 50), but it can still be seen that some of
the serving staffs do not want to take responsibility for the fault not made by them.
If this is in another setting, it may be accepted. However, in the service industry in
general, and in the hotel industry in particular, it is quite unaccepted as their duty
is to make guests pleased. An act of turning down the complaint may lead the
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20

guests to be more furious. The consequence of this seems to be predictable. For
the question to express their own opinion, no answer was found.
2.5.2.3. When it is due to the guests themselves.
The options for the pattern are designed as follows:
A.  apology + explanation + promise
B.  apology + explanation
C.  apology + promise
D. apology only

¶

¶

21

her stay at the hotel before checking in…To deal with these kinds of complaints, it
is quite obvious that the strategy most employed by the serving staffs is still the
one that they use when the faults is due to themselves: an apology + an
explanation + a promise. It might be said that they always make an act of apology
for whatever complaints from the guests together with an act of explanation to
make the situation clear, and to solve the problem, an act of promise might be
employed. 24 respondents have chosen this pattern to deal with guests’ complaints
for what caused by themselves. Only an explanation or a promise after the apology
is also what the serving staffs probably use to respond to the guests. An apology
only seems not enough and not chosen by the respondents. For the pattern of
turning down the complaint, the number of respondents choosing this is higher
comparing with the two previous situations when the fault is due to the serving
staffs. This can be explained that since it is not their faults, they do not want to
take any responsibility for these. However, avoiding taking responsibility is not
what they learn to deal with guests’ complaints. Thus, for any respondents who
have chosen this pattern, they should reconsider about rules in dealing with guests’
complaints. The strategy of ignoring the complaints is not chosen by any
respondents. They are in the service area and as for them at least they have to say
something to the guests. Finally, no respondent has added any other strategies to
the list about this situation.
2.5.2.4. The findings:
After studying three situations in which the complaints are made due to
different agents from the serving staffs, the other departments in the organization
to the guests, the writer has come to a conclusion about the strategy pattern

When we make mistake, it is expected that we will do something via action
or utterance to rectify the mistake. Working in the hotel industry, serving staff
have to face with guests’ complaints everyday. To deal with the complaints
successfully, an appropriate language pattern should be employed. This part will
have an investigation in to the language employed in response to guests’
complaints when it is due to the serving staffs’ fault.
The language patterns are designed basing on the following situation:
Suppose you are a waiter/ waitress. What would you say if the complaint was
“I asked for my steak rare __ this steak is so well done, it’s almost uneatable”?
and you know that you have written down the wrong order.
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
¶
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23

A.  I’m very sorry about this. There’s obviously a misunderstanding. I’ll have it
changed for you right away.
B.  I’m very sorry about this. There’s obviously a misunderstanding.
C.  I’m very sorry about this. I’ll have it changed for you right away.
D.  Sorry, Sir/ Madam.
E.  Really? I’ve checked with the chef and he made sure that this steak has been
cooked the same as your order.
F.  You ignore the complaint.

G. Your opinion (please specify): ___________________________

respondents have chosen to turn down the complaint although it is due to their
faults. No one has chosen to say sorry only for their faults or say nothing.
Study the language pattern, it can be seen that to give an act of apology, the
language used by the serving staff is quite formal with “I’m very sorry about this”.
This might be shown that there is a distance between the serving staffs and the
guests; therefore, a formal style of language can be used to imply the politeness of
the serving staffs to the guests. The explanation is not too detailed but quite
general with “There’s obviously a misunderstanding.” To promise to take action
for the complaint, the structure “have something done” is employed. With this
structure employed, it seems that the serving staffs do not directly admit their fault
but try to blame for another person or another department. Although the fault is
made by the serving staff, in this case, s/he has written down the wrong order, they
still choose to blame for another department with “Really? I’ve checked with the
chef and he made sure that this steak has been cooked the same as your order.” to
turn down the complaints. This might be a surprise as normally when one makes
mistake, it is expected for him/her to admit the mistakes and take action to repair
the mistakes. This is still true in the hotel industry. However, studying this
situation, there are still a number of respondents choosing not to admit the faults.
2.5.3.2. When the fault is owing to another department in the organization
The hotel is an organization in which departments are well related to one
another and waiters and waitresses are the people who directly contact with the
guests. Consequently, whenever there is a complaint from the guests. It is directly
towards the waiters or waitresses. However, it is not always the fault made by the
waiters or waitresses but from another department in the organization. In such
cases, how the waiters and waitresses respond to the guests’ complaints. Let us
study the following situation.
Suppose you are working as a waiter/ waitress. What would you say if the
complaint was “I asked for my steak rare __ this steak is so well done, it’s
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